Former Celtic prospect targeted for fifth European venture since Hoops exit

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Former Celtic academy prospect Liam Henderson is reportedly being targeted for a move to Serie A side Spezia.

The 26-year-old has become a familiar name over in Italy, having featured for four different clubs in the top-flight and second division.

And Henderson could be on the move once again in the January window, with one club, in particular, lining up for a move after expressing interest.

It has been quite the few years for Henderson since his official departure from Celtic back in 2018.

The midfielder rised through the ranks at Parkhead, featuring for the academy sides, before going on to make 36 appearances in total for the Hoops.

The former Scotland under-21 international had loan spells at Rosenborg and a successful time at Hibernian. But ultimately, his time out on loan couldn’t help his breakthrough at Celtic.

Around four years ago, Henderson departed the club, taking the big step and heading over to Italy, where he spent time with Bari in the Italian second division.

After under a year there, the midfielder then joined Hellas Verona, who he helped climb into the Serie A, before moving back down a division with Empoli on loan.

A strong loan spell then led him to Leece before he made his return to Empoli on a permanent basis, and he is now playing in the Serie A with his current side.

At this moment in time, Empoli and Henderson sit clear of the relegation zone, ten points above Cremonese in 18th place.

So, things are going well for the Scotsman, who had made a total of 14 appearances in Italy this season and is a consistent member of the squad.

Now, the midfielder looks to be attracting January transfer interest, with reports from La Gazzetta dello Sport (as reported by Footballnews24) stating that Spezia are interested in signing Henderson.

The 17th placed side in Serie A would become the fifth club the former Celtic man has featured for in Italy, as he becomes a more prominent name to clubs in the country.

It will certainly be interesting to see how far this interest goes, with Henderson being a regular feature for his current side this season, playing all but two of their league games.

Spezia would likely have to cough up a decent enough fee after identifying the Scottish midfielder as one of the options they will look to target in January.

Liam Henderson continues to make a name for himself out on the continent.

For many Scottish players, it is a brave step to try and go make a career abroad, particularly in such a big footballing country like Italy.

However, Henderson has been one of the modern leading faces, and now we see more young Scottish hopefuls heading to the Serie A.

Having fluctuated between the top two divisions and not earning any rewards in terms of international caps, it could have been easy for many players to give up abroad.

However, not for the former Celtic man, who has continued to play his football in Italy, and now he could be set for a move to his sixth European club overall after a short spell with Rosenborg.

He may not be at Parkhead anymore, but personally, it is still great to see an academy hopeful doing well abroad, and that is clear with more transfer interest arriving for the midfielder.

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